Knicks' OG Anunoby All Business As Raptors Visit
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OG Anunoby's feelings for the Toronto Raptors appear to be extinct.
With all of the hoopla for Saturday's game between the Raptors and New York Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) centered around the respective returns of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Madison Square Garden, it's somewhat easy to forget that their departures brought OG Anunoby to Manhattan.
If Anunoby's comments after Thursday's 113-109 win over Washington are any indication, he certainly wouldn't mind if such a subplot remains buried.
"Just go out there, try to win a game, see the staff, see my old teammates," Anunoby said when asked about his mindset for Saturday's game, per video from SNY. "It'll be great to talk to (the Raptors), catch up a little bit, and then get ready to win a game ... It'll be weird, but we've got to do it. I'll figure it out."
Dan Hamilton, USA TODAY SPORTS
Saturday night will host the first game between the Knicks and Raptriots since a Dec. 30 trade sent Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn stateside in exchange for Barrett, Quickley, and a second-round pick.
The deal has proven mutually beneficial in the immediate aftermath: New York is 8-2 and playing formidable defense with Anunoby in the lineup while the Raptors appear to have found a pair of keepers in Barrett and Quickley as they continue the purge of their 2019 championship group. The latest departure, Pascal Siakam, was traded to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in a deal that got back Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks.
Anunoby, 26, spent his entire career with the Raptors before the trade and was part of the aforementioned run to the NBA Finals, though he was unable to appear in any playoff games due to an emergency appendectomy. Upon leaving, Anunoby ranks fourth and eighth on Toronto's all-time leaderboard for three-pointers (651) and steals (487).
Time will tell if Anunoby gets a little more emotional in the final part of this four-game series between New York and Toronto: the two sides are slated to do battle one more time this season at Scotiabank Arena on March 27, which will give Anunoby a chance to offer Ontario a proper farewell.
